Julia could not withhold her smile. “The earl was wonderfully unorthodox, wasn’t he?”
“To the chagrin of my brother for certain.”
Julia jumped up from the bed and puffed her cheeks out and started to wobble about awkwardly, the way they used to make fun of Thomas when they were younger. “Thomas the Turtle,” she said. “He always moved so deliberately slow, thinking it made him seem important.”
“You are forgetting something.” Willa suddenly stood and walked with an exaggerated gait. “He always wore his shoes two-sizes too big so he looked larger than he actually was.”
Julia covered her mouth. “Oh, no.”
“You’re as red as an apple, Julia! Why?”
“I’d rather not say.”
Willa planted her hand on her hip. “How can you keep something funny from me? Am I not your dearest friend?”
“What if I give you a hint?”
Willa considered it. “Up to three, and if I cannot guess, then you do not have to share your secret.”
“I accept your terms.”
“All right, what is my first clue?”
“I was spending the week at your house while Mother and Father went to our country estate.”
Willa tapped her chin. “You were fifteen, I remember.”
“Yes.”
“But so much happened that week!”
“We snuck into Thomas’s chamber…”
“And thought he was out. Instead… no, I cannot think it, much less say it aloud.”
Merriment showed in Julia’s face as she leaned over and whispered in Willa’s ear.
“Julia!”
“Well, did he not try to shove a pair of stockings down the front of his trousers?”
Willa nodded.
“Then it is safe to say, he wanted to make himself look bigger than he actually was.”
Willa burst into laughter. “You are a frightening creature of contradictions. But ever delightful, Lady Julia.” She gave a practiced bow.
Julia held her hand out, expecting her friend to continue playing the role of an elegant man.
Willa did just that, kissing her knuckles. “Are you preparing for meeting the duke?”
Julia snapped her hand back and frowned. “I am sure there will be many eligible bachelors at the countess’s party. Why does it have to be for him alone?”
“Why not if you are already acquainted? At least… what’s his name?”
“Farrington.”
“At least he’s pleasant to look at,” Willa finished.
